


Promise Me

by katikat



Category: White Collar
Genre: AU, Angst, F/M, M/M, Natural Disasters, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-04
Updated: 2010-05-04
Packaged: 2017-10-09 07:34:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/84586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katikat/pseuds/katikat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A disaster flick. The plane's waiting...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Promise Me

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by _The Day After Tomorrow_.

The gates were huge, their metal bars as thick as a wrist, and manned by the National Guard. The air was cold and getting colder by the second, freezing temperatures in the middle of August. Frost, snow and a sharp wind only added to people's frenzy, the masses leaning heavily against the metal fence, trying to break in, get on the tarmac where the last of the planes were waiting.

Peter made his way through the throng, Jones and Diana just in front of him. Neal was right behind them, keeping them in sight despite the crowd's best effort to separate them. Just a moment longer, another moment and then...

Diana went through first, flashing her red boarding card, the coveted card that ensured her a place on the plane - and the crowd went wild, people screaming and yelling and pressing forward, trying to grab them. Then it was Jones's turn and then Peter's. The guards let them through, pulling the gate open just so they could pass.

And all the time, Neal prayed, _don't look back, Peter, don't look back until they close the gate_. For he had no red card in his pocket, no ticket out of the freezing hell that New York would soon turn into. And Peter didn't know... Neal hadn't told him and he hoped that Peter wouldn't realize until the gate closed, cutting him off, forbidding him to return and do something monumentally stupid.

The ring of the gate's metal wings slamming shut sounded like a death knell, separating them at last. The crowd pressed Neal against the fence, almost throwing him against it. He gripped the metal bars tight, thankful for his gloves. Diana and Jones were walking briskly towards the waiting plane and Peter... Any moment now.

Peter turned, frowning when he didn't see Neal immediately. He looked around, then towards the gate and froze in shock when he finally spotted Neal - on the other side of the fence.

"What are you doing?" Peter asked in annoyance when he returned. "Come on, the plane's waiting."

Neal smiled at him, snow clinging to his eye-lashes, to his hair. "I'm not going," he said and he sounded braver than he felt. The frost was coming, the new ice age marching from the North, eating up the ground, mile after mile.

Peter frowned. "What? Don't be stupid. Of course you are. Just show the guards your card and let's go." He waved at the men in warm uniforms manning the entrance.

"Peter," Neal said slowly. "I don't have a boarding card."

Peter blinked, not comprehending. "Nonsense. Of course you do. Every agent got them, one for themselves and one for their spouse!" he said, waving the red piece of paper.

"Peter, I'm not an agent," Neal reminded Peter softly, trying to hide what a blow it had been when Hughes called him in to his office and told him somberly that there would be no room for him on the planes that were leaving New York and headed South, trying to rescue as many people as possible, essential personnel and officials first and foremost, of course.

"What?" Peter said softly, his breath clouding.

Jostled by the crowd, Neal clung tight to the bars. "There was no place for a CI."

Peter's face turned red with anger. "That's utter nonsense. You aren't just a CI. You work for us - with us. There must be some mistake..."

Neal shook his head. "There isn't." He shrugged, trying to play it cool, like it didn't matter, like it wasn't almost certainly a death sentence to stay in New York where every living thing would freeze to death within hours soon. "The pencil pushers don't care."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Peter was angry, so angry - but also desperate, he had all the facts and knew the prognosis too, after all. "I could have done something, found a way!"

"You couldn't. I tried. Hughes tried. And when nothing panned out, even June tried to buy me a place on one of the planes and get me out together with her family, but..." The tickets sold for millions dollars of dollars each, planes being the only thing that could outpace the running frost. June offered the clerks all she had for a place for Neal, but in vain. There just weren't any places left.

Peter moved closer, almost touching the bars, so that Neal would hear his words over the noise of the crowd. "How long have you known?" he asked.

Neal shrugged. "Three days." Since the order for the immediate evacuation South came.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Peter asked again, more softly this time.

Neal smiled. "Because I know you. You would have done something stupid and screwed up your own chance to get out - yours and Elizabeth's." He nodded at the plane where Elizabeth waited.

"Neal... You should've told me! You should've..." There was so much pain in Peter's voice that it was breaking Neal's heart. Only yesterday Peter was giving orders, making decisions about who could come and who would have to stay - and now the tables had turned. "Go South then - take my car, it's at the headquarters. It's a small chance but you could make it to..."

Neal shook his head. "The highways, all the roads, they're blocked and you know that."

As the seconds ticked by, Peter's desperation grew, Neal felt it and he knew what Peter was thinking, that there had to be something, some way to get Neal to safety - but there wasn't. "Then go to the headquarters, there's personnel staying down there, volunteers from the bureau. They have isolated quarters ready, they know you, they'll take you in."

"And Mozzie too?" Neal whispered. "I can't leave him, Peter. He's my friend, a good, loyal friend."

"You will die, Neal!" Peter barked, angry again, and hit the fence with his right fist so hard it rattled. "You'll both die out there, in the city."

"We'll stay at June's," Neal said as if Peter hadn't spoken at all. "She offered us the house. Once this is over - this whole thing, the snow and the frost - come look for us there?" he asked hopefully.

"You'll die," Peter repeated softly, his hand resting lightly on Neal's on the iron bars, despair filling his eyes.

Neal tried to smile bravely again, but this time he failed. "Peter..."

One of the guards stepped to them. "Sir," he addressed Peter. "Sir, you have to go. The plane's ready for take-off and they won't wait."

Peter threw a look at the guard and Neal sensed that he was about to say something, to try and convince the soldier to let Neal through - even though they both knew that the man wouldn't, couldn't, do it. He was duty bound and their good-bye wasn't the first nor the last he would see before this was over.

"Go, Peter," Neal said firmly. "Think of Elizabeth, think of _her_! Go!"

Peter turned to him, torn.

"Sir!" the guard said again.

Unexpectedly, Peter reached through the bars and grabbed Neal's face, pulling him closer, so close that Neal felt the chill from the fence on his cheeks, then Peter leaned in and kissed him hard and fast on the lips, the kiss almost brutal in its intensity. It was over too quickly and it left them both stunned and shaken.

"Promise me that you'll do everything to survive!" Peter ordered softly, his breath washing over Neal's lips.

"I promise," Neal whispered back, gazing deep into Peter's eyes.

Nodding, Peter let Neal go and stepped back. "I'll come back once this is over. I will," he intoned. "I'll come to June's house. So be there!" he ordered and with one last look, long and intent as if he wanted to commit every detail of Neal into his memory, Peter turned and strode to the plane, his step stiff and his back ramrod straight.

"Take care of yourself," Neal whispered, leaning against the frost covered bars, as he watched the plane roll down the tarmac and disappear into the swirling snow.

The End


End file.
